Today's industrial assembly lines have become highly integrated and complex. For instance, the automotive industry now utilizes conveyor lines that carry individual automobile bodies on individual pallets called skillets. These skillets have large platforms that extend beyond the width and length of the automobile body so that automotive assemblers may stand on the skillets and assemble a portion of the automobile body while the skillets are moving with the conveyor line.
A tremendous amount of technology has been implemented into these skillets and their associated conveyor systems. For instance, lifts may be provided on the skillets to allow for the raising and lowering of the automobile body relative to the position of the assembler so as to provide the optimum ergonomic position for the assembler. In addition, the skillets may contain barcode information to provide the assembler information regarding the automotive body prior to or during the assembly of the automotive body.
Although such technology is responsible for a number of advancements with regard to such assembly lines, problems still arise regarding the maneuverability of such skillets. Due to the size of the skillets and the fact that one main drive is typically utilized to drive the entire conveyor line of skillets by pushing the skillets end to end, it is difficult, if not impossible, to curve or bend the conveyor line. Therefore, the conveyor lines are typically straight. Since a conveyor line cannot continue straight throughout the entire assembly operation, the skillets must be transferred to different conveyor lines wherein they will again proceed along a substantially straight line. When transferring these skillets from one conveyor line to another, the skillets may be transferred underground or overhead. By transferring the skillets underground or overhead, valuable floor space is maximized in the plant.
When the skillets are transferred from a first conveyor line to a second conveyor line, the transferred skillets must be integrated onto the subsequent conveyor line such that the transferred skillet does not affect the flow of the skillets on the subsequent conveyor line. If while integrating the transferred skillet onto the subsequent conveyor line the transferred skillet bumps the last skillet on the conveyor line, a chain reaction may be created throughout the conveyor line, thereby causing the assembly line workers to lose their balance while standing on the skillets. In addition, the transferred skillet must become adjacently aligned with the last skillet prior to being driven by the main drive which drives the entire conveyor line. If this does not occur, a gap will occur between the transferred skillet and the last skillet thereby causing the two skillets to collide or bump at some point. In addition, integration of the transferred skillet must be done as fast as possible to maintain the efficiency of the assembly line.
Lastly, many conveyor lines have secondary conveyor lines that feed pallets, workpieces, or parts to the primary conveyor line. Since these secondary conveyors must be synchronized with the primary conveyor, the speed of one conveyor cannot be adjusted without adjusting the speed of the other conveyor lines. This creates inefficiencies when changing the speed of the conveyors. Such inefficiencies are undesirable in an industrial environment.
It is desirable to provide a method and apparatus for integrating a new or transferred pallet onto a conveyor such that the new or transferred pallet does not bump the existing pallets in the assembly line. In addition, it is desirable to provide a method and apparatus for integrating a new or transferred pallet onto an existing conveyor line at a highly efficient rate. Lastly, it is desirable to provide a method and apparatus for integrating a new or transferred pallet onto an existing conveyor that allows for the adjustment of the speed of the conveyor lines while the conveyor lines are running.